Some facts about the Seychelles...
*The Clock towel in Central Victoria was erected on 01/04/1903 by Ernest Bickham Sweet Escott to commemorate the reign of Queen Victoria. For 100 years it kept its time but never chimed.
*Victoria got its first roads in 1881 to make travel by horses and ox-carts easier. Roads became streets of tarmacadam in 1930s when motor cars started to appear. The first car on the island was owned by an Englishman, Charles Briskin, who imported his beloved automobile from Nairobi. It was an Austin Seven, a little four seater with a 750cc four cylinder engine.
*The Seychelles became Independant from the United Kingdom on the 29th June 1976 - Happy Independance day to the Seychelles.
*The Seychelles is home to Africa's smallest capital city (Victoria) and the world's oldest giant tortoise Esmeralda 170 years.
*The Coco de Mer is the most interesting species of the six monospecific endemic palms in the Seychelles since it is the "only true case of island gigantism among the Seychelles flowering plants, a unique feature of the Seychelles vegetation".
It is one of the most universally well-known plants and holds three botanical records; the largest fruit so far recorded weighed 42 kg; the mature seeds weighing up to 17.6 kg are the world's heaviest and the female flowers are the largest of any palm.
Of the six endemic palms it is the only dioecious species, with male and female flowers located on different plants.
A selective review of the biology of the species was recently published by Edwards, Kollmann & Fleischmann (2002).
*Seychelles is the leading country in the world for landmass under protection.
* Mahe island was originally called Isle Sechelles it later had its name changed and its former name was given to represent the group of islands making up the Seychelles.
* The Exotic Food of the Seychelles- View our Blog on the Seychelles Cuisine. | 
